Arguably, weight loss is the most common fitness goal. Sure, many want to bulk up or want to get ripped but most (probably including you) want to lose weight and look good. Sadly, there comes a time when losing weight seems impossible no matter how hard you try. Don’t worry, you are not alone and it can be solved.
A lot of people lose a lot of weight at first but eventually find it to be really hard later on. It might be a single problem or a combination of them. You may be committed to your workout but might not be burning enough calories. Or there could be a medical condition that may be affecting your efforts to exercise and eat well.
Just because it’s not working out for you, it doesn’t mean that you should give up; you might even end up losing out on your hard work by gaining a bunch of weight. Join FITPASS for comprehensive fitness solutions. Get FITPASS to workout on your terms and FITFEAST to get personalized diet recommendations from certified experts.
Not sleeping enough causes several problems and one of them is weight gain. Studies confirm that people who sleep less are more likely to gain weight. Lack of sleep affects your metabolism and you are likely to feel hungry more than you usually are and at unusual times. Sleep deprivation leads to cortisol – one of the hormones that regulate appetite – secretion. Tiredness follows when you don’t sleep enough and decreases your physical activity leading to fewer calories burned.
Sleep 7-8 hours each night for your mental as well as physical health. You may feel confused, irritable, cranky, or even depressed. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and avoid caffeine before bedtime to sleep well. If you think that you’re suffering from insomnia, see a doctor.
The number of calories you consume should be less than the number of calories you burn to lose weight. If you’re not losing weight, you may be eating a little too much. Therefore, you may want to track your daily calorie intake. Research finds that it is easy for us to underestimate how much we eat. Oftentimes, we eat out and consume twice as many calories as we should and our weight loss goals go for a toss. Consuming that many calories is not advisable even on a cheat day. You might want to write down the number of calories you need and how many you consume. You can not only get diet suggestions but track your calorie intake as well with FITFEAST. Measure your portions and try to control them every day. Aim for a diet that provides all the necessary nutrients – it will help you to cut down on calories. Consulting a nutritionist is a good idea if you’re unable to control your calorie intake.
Losing weight is virtually impossible if you skimp on exercising. Either you’re not doing the right workout or you are not burning enough calories. If so, it’s time to re-evaluate your workout regime. On average, you need 60-90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every day. Or half an hour of high-intensity workouts each day. If you’re working out less than that, you know where you are lagging. You don’t have to start working out for, say 2 hours every day. That amount of workout can lead to injuries. You may need to increase the duration or the intensity of your workout. Otherwise, you might need to change your weight loss goals.
An hour of exercise won’t compensate for 8-9 hours of sitting each day. You need to be active – take the stairs, go for a stroll at least twice a day, stretch on your chair, limit your on-screen time (TV if not laptop). It is very hard to lose weight when you sit all day long.
We work very hard during the week and find us wanting to relax as much as we can during the weekend. You might be getting too relaxed in exercising and eating right. Occasional treats and breaks are fine but doing nothing throughout the weekend hurts your weight loss goals. If you lose 500 calories every day during the week and end up consuming more and not losing any calories during the weekend, you’re not really going anywhere. Try the following:
- 1-2 cheat meals over the weekend are fine. Stick to a healthy diet otherwise
- Don’t let food be your reward – don’t eat junk for having eaten healthy all week. If you want something to look forward to, reward yourself with experiences like a road trip or a movie with friends, etc.
- Sleep till late on the weekend by all means but don’t spend all the time in your bed or on the couch. Clean your home or do something productive
- If you really want to have Pizza, let’s say on Friday, then workout a little harder on Thursday and Saturday and eat light for lunch
There comes a time when you just can’t lose weight anymore. The body gets used to the workouts and spends lesser calories in performing the same exercises – it’s almost like stopping. What you need is a change and here’s how you can do it:
- Challenge your body by changing your workout routine every 4-6 weeks
- Make sure you’re consuming enough calories to be able to workout properly. If you do not have enough calories, your body will conserve more and burn less
- Don’t exercise too much as it will decrease the number of calories burned on rest days
Crank up the intensity of your workouts. If you have been doing yoga for a while, go for CrossFit, Pilates, Swimming, Gym Workout, MMA, or any other workout regime. Experimentation is necessary to find out the exercises that suit you and those that don’t.
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